This exercise is prepared by the Leaf Academy. It is part of the Spectator College programme and it is linked to the articles: Mortgage state bonus: How the young can cut their living costs and Natural gardens – a piece of nature in town.
CONTENT
EXERCISE 1: Mortgage state bonus: How the young can cut their living costs
EXERCISE 2: Natural gardens – a piece of nature in town
Recommended Usage and Format for exercises
EXERCISE 1 linked to the article: Mortgage state bonus: How the young can cut their living costs
Lesson Objectives
- Read text and demonstrate understanding (comprehension, analysis, connection, and transfer)
- Analyze position
- Respond to argument and work with evidence
- Read article (10 minutes)
a. Underline any words you do not recognize or understand. - Understanding: (5 minutes)
- Have each student share word(s) they don’t know and define them.
- Summarize/Monitor Understanding/Research (15 minutes)
- Explain the benefits of home ownership.
- Focused Free Write: (5 minutes writing, 5-minute discussion)
- Prompt: Given the current interest rates are below 2% (see example at Tatra Bank link below) and that young people are eligible for government bonus (“mortgage for the youth”), any gainfully employed young person should purchase a home or flat in 2017. Agree or disagree with this statement and use evidence from the article and Tatra Bank website to support your position.
- http://www.tatrabanka.sk/en/personal-banking/loans/mortgage/calculator.html
- Discussion (10 minutes)
- Discuss the pros and cons of home ownership. Discuss the financial differences, pro and con, of taking a mortgage versus paying a lease.
EXERCISE 2 linked to the article: Natural gardens – a piece of nature in town
Lesson Objectives
- Read text and demonstrate understanding (comprehension, analysis, connection, and transfer)
- Analyze position
- Respond to argument and work with evidence
- Read article (5 minutes)
- Underline any words you do not recognize or understand.
- Understanding: (5 minutes)
- Have each student share word(s) they don’t know and define them.
- Summarize/Monitor Understanding/Research (10 minutes)
- Explain the criteria for and benefits of “natural gardens.”
- Group Activity: (15 minutes) Working in groups of three, and using information from the article, design and propose a natural garden for your school or community.
- Share and Discussion (10 minutes)
- Each group should take one minute to share key aspects of their “natural garden.” Find similarities and differences. Determine if a group of students would like to take this on as an activity.
Recommended Usage and Format for exercises
We believe a discussion-based format is best for achieving the learning objectives. We also believe that using the technique Writing as Thinking helps students to formulate their ideas and practice their writing in advance of the discussion. The degree of facilitator and adult involvement will vary according to student background and secondary objectives.
Writing
Model by being willing to write along with students and also to share your writing with the class.
Let them know before writing if they will be asked to share their writing out loud.
Here writing is first thoughts, so poor spelling, punctuation or conventions are not the focus.
Focus on engaging with ideas.
They do not need to apologize for the quality of their writing.
Discussion
Set expectations for active listening and body language
Engage introverts and extroverts, be mindful of dominant voices
Be mindful of how much you are speaking
Manage time
Encourage students to respond directly to each other, and not through the facilitator, using evidence- I agree with Igor’s point because…
Encourage everyone to draw from evidence in the text to support their points, avoid generalizations
Can you point to a line in the text…
Can you help me to understand…
Could you give an example…
Use techniques to encourage other voices
Let’s hear some other thoughts…
Let’s hear from someone who hasn’t contributed yet…
Techniques for managing time/discussion
Put this in the parking lot and move on…
Let’s pause here…
Parts of the lesson
Focused Free Write– an opportunity for students to write freely, but about a specific prompt.
Reflection– an opportunity to think about the lesson, what they have learned and hopefully how it will help them or how it connects to their life
Underlining words– this strategy is a good habit for students and it also allows them more ownership of their vocabulary.
This exercise is prepared by the Leaf Academy and it is part of the Spectator College, a programme created by The Slovak Spectator.
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